Hola
by L Ducky
Summary: Mimi and Angel in high school. How they became who they are now. Rating for language. I am now naming chapters!
1. Hola

**Yes, this does have to do with RENT, the character's name's are just different. And they are a bit OOC, but they need to be for what I'm planning. You can probably tell who they are, though.**

Michelle walked down the hall of her new school, her mom's old brown messenger bag on her shoulder. She looked around, and blended right in. This was a mostly Hispanic school, seeing as it was in the neighborhood for it. She looked at her schedule; her first period was history. Room 112. She didn't dare ask anyone for help – she knew the old "send the freshman fresh meat to the wrong spot haha" trick. She found room 137, and the room to the right of it was 135. She looked to the left, and, sure enough, room 139. She followed the numbers down until she reached a wall… with the number 121 beside it. She slumped against the wall, closing her eyes. A bell rang somewhere above her.

_Shit!_ Michelle thought. _I'm lost and now I'm going to be late._

She saw a pair of sneakers in front of her, suddenly. _Great, and I'm about to get beat up_.

"Hey." A light, friendly voice same from the mouth connected to the sneakers. "You look like you could use some help." The boy kneeled down and peered into her face.

"Where are you trying to get to?"

Michelle looked up at the boy. He had a nice enough face, and honestly looked like he was going to help her, not torment her. "Room 112," she gulped.

The boy smiled. "C'mon. I know the way." He helped her up, and led her a little ways back down the hall, and around an easy-to-miss corner. There were rooms 100-120.

"History?" the boy asked.

"What?"

"Do you have first period history in this room?" he was so patient with her.

"Oh, _si_."

"So do I. You better go in first, they might get ideas. I'll wait here for a bit."

"But, won't you be late?"

"_Chica_, worry about yourself, okay?"

Michelle walked in only seconds before the second bell rang. _Phew. I'm not late._ She watched as the rest of the class began to settle down. There were still people mingling, but as people sat down, Michelle mimicked them as closely as possible, without seeming like a stalker. The clumps of people were settling towards the middle, and she knew from experience that sitting in the front was a bad idea. She took a seat in the very back, somewhat near the corner. She saw the helpful boy sneak in and smile at her. She smiled back. Looking in her bag for a notebook, she heard footsteps coming towards her. She saw a familiar pair of sneakers next to the bag. She smiled at them.

"_Hola_, again."

"_Hola._ I don't think we were introduced. _Mi nombre es Michelangelo_. I'm mostly called Mike, though."

"_Mi nombre es Michelle._ And people call me Michelle." She laughed a little at her joke. Mike took the seat next to her; no one was on her other side. Mike caught her looking at the empty desk.

"Don't worry about it, _chica_, I know this school like the back of my hand. I'll help you out." Michelle smiled at him, and the teacher walked in.

**To be continued.**

**Thoughts?**


	2. How the Hell?

**Wow this seems to be more popular than I thought it would be. Thanks, guys! Now for chapter two…**

**Oh, and I forgot to put this in last time –tsk tsk-**

**I don't own RENT, but I sort of own Michelle and Michelangelo. **

**Also, my Spanish is limited only have taken three years of it and not paying attention. I now take Japanese, and remember very little Spanish, so if it's wrong, please correct me and I will make it better.**

Michelle was in the middle of taking a note… something about Julius Caesar… when the bell rung again. She jumped a mile, and Mike laughed a little at her. She looked shell-shocked.

"Don't worry, _chica_, it gets the better of us when we're unawares."

The other students had started packing up; she copied them. How did everyone know this school so well, when they were all freshman like her? She turned to Mike.

"Hey, Mike?"

"_Si?_"

"How come everyone knows their way around here? Like, I'm just a freshman, and so are you, _si?_ Then, how do you know where to go and stuff?"

"Me? I'm repeating the grade, honey. I went here last year. Everyone else? Are you new here, _chica_?"

"I moved here last month."

"Ahh, see, honey, all the 8th hung out here after school was out." Mike explained. "Now, where is your next class?"

"I have… study hall. The library." She said after peeking at her schedule.

"Well, then, _chica_, we must part. The library is just there," he pointed at a building across the courtyard outside, "and my chem lab is the other way. What do you have after study hall?" he asked.

She checked her schedule again. "English, then lunch."

"_Yo también_! Well, I'll see you then." He waved goodbye and hopped away to his class.

Study Hall was Michelle's high point of the day. No one to bother her, she could just sit and work on her History homework. She finished it, and didn't have any other classes so far that day, so there was nothing for her to do until the bell rang again. She doodled, she daydreamed, she tried to go outside, but the bossy librarian that reminded her of a toad yelled at her. Seconds later, the bell rang. She smiled nicely at the toad-woman and danced her way out of the library. Next up: English, room 120. At least she knew where that was.

**Well, this was short. The next one probably will be, too, but I will try to make the update quicker.**


	3. No Way To Make A Living

**I'll try to make this one longer.**

Michelangelo looked out the huge window that looked onto the courtyard, looking for that sweet Michelle girl he had met this morning. She was a smart _chica_, just a little lost. Mike had forgotten to tell her where to find the English classroom, so he was just standing there, waiting to be found by her.

"Mike!" he heard a voice call. There was Michelle.

"Hey, _chica_!" he called back. She ran the rest of the way over to him.

"How was study hall?"

"Ehh. It was okay. Nothing to do – but I finished the history homework – what?" Mike was laughing.

"Honey, no one ever goes to the library for study hall. Everyone goes off campus or something…" Michelle looked devastated. He stopped laughing, and comforted her. "_Chica_… don't sweat it. It's your first day here – you don't know much about anything. I'll show you over the weekend. Okay?"

"_Si._" She sniffed.

"Now let's get to class." Michelle cleaned her face up, put on a smile, and walked into the classroom.

The teacher smiled when she saw Mike. "Welcome back, Mike. Going to pass this time?" Mike gave an angelic little smile and replied "Of course!" The teacher rolled her eyes knowingly. Mike gave a little bow and skipped over to his seat as the rest of the class filed in.

"Alright, class." The teacher commanded their attention. "My name is Mrs. Stou. And I am sorry to say… I have a seating chart for you." The class groaned. Michelle especially. She only knew one person in this class, and wanted to be seated next to him. Mrs. Stou went through all the names, pointing to seats.

"Marquez!" she pointed to a seat in the very middle. There was no one she knew near her, as Mike was all the way in the corner. To her left was a boy in her history class. She never got around to learning his first name, but she heard from Mrs. Stou that his last name was Azure. She turned and smiled at him, but he quickly shunned her, and turned to flirt with the girl on his other side. Once more, Michelle was rejected for not being there before all this.

She tried to turn to the other side, talk to the girl there, but she was already asleep and the class hadn't even started. The girl behind her passed a not over Michelle's shoulder.

_Don't expect all of us to be nice like that fag in the corner. Be careful, he might rub off on you. You're better off with people like me – you have potential to be me._

Michelle turned around. There sat a girl barely in any clothes. She was wearing a low-cut pastel pink tube top that was cut at a diagonal from the middle of her right ribs (right where her bra ended) to her left hip. A jean miniskirt that barely covered her butt was stretched across her hips. _No, I don't think so_. Thought Michelle. _I could never be a slut like her. She'll probably end up a stripper. That's no way to make a living._

**I kind of love this chapter. Especially because as I wrote the last part, I was listening to Out Tonight.**


	4. In Laughter in Strife

**Well, this one hasn't been updated in a REALLY long time… sorry 'bout that… well… on with the show!**

**And I think you should have all figured out that I don't own the wonderfulness of RENT.**

The rest of the English class passed uneventful after the cruel note. Michelle showed it to Mike as soon as she could, and he just laughed.

"What? How can you be laughing? That _perra_ (A/N: I heard somewhere that this means "bitch") just called you a fag!"

"And you think I haven't heard worse, _chica_? You have got a lot to learn."

Michelle shook her head in amazement. She wanted to punch the girl's lights out for saying that about her friend, and here he was, calmly walking to lunch as if this were any normal day.

"But- Mike-" she sputtered her protest. He stopped dead in the middle of the hallway and turned around, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"_Chica_, I'm gay. There's nothing more to it. I like boys rather than girls. If the little _puta_ (A/N: "whore," I think) wants to insult me with a fact, she's playing the wrong game. Understand?"

Michelle nodded.

"Good. Now lets get to lunch."

**Short, but I needed Michelangelo to tell her somehow. Reviews are like candy… good!**


	5. Back on the Street where I met my sweet

**-Mumbles curses at it wouldn't let me log in!**

**As in love with it as I am, I still don't own RENT**

A sandwich, an orange juice carton as well as a few weeks later, Michelle felt pretty much at home with the school. She only had three out of her seven classes with Mike, but she made new friends as well. A girl named Gaby and another boy who simply went by Street (no one knew his real name, not even his foster-parents) joined their group. The four of them almost always had lunch together and today was no exception.

Topic of the day: the dance this coming Friday.

The first words out of Mike's mouth when he slid onto his seat at the table were, "Has anyone been asked to the dance yet?"

"No," Michelle sighed.

Gaby and Street both blushed. Michelle looked at Mike, who was looking right back.

"Um - " Street began, running a hand through his gelled hair. Gaby decided to get it over with, like a band-aid.

"Streetaskedmetogowithhim." Michelle squealed.

"Oh, that's _adorable_!"

"But just as friends!" Street hurriedly shushed Michelle.

"Alright, alright." She stopped. squealing

"Hey, Michelle," Mike said in an undertone, so Street and Michelle couldn't hear. "Can I talk to you later?"

Michelle gave him a curious look. "Sure…" she agreed in the same tone. Gaby got up, suddenly, knocking her chair over.

"Shit! I forgot to do my math! I'll be in the courtyard, okay?"

"Alright."

Michelle leaned over the table to Street. "So, what happened?" Street mumbled something incoherent. "Stre-eet…"

"We were on the phone, and - "

"What were you talking about before?" Mike interrupted.

"Um, well, we were talking about an upcoming movie. The one with Thelma and Louise?"

"_Si, si si_. Go on."

"And, I just sort of, asked her?"

"One, two three..." Michelle counted at Mike

"Awww." They both crooned at the some time. Street cringed. "Please. You two are such gir-" he stopped short. "Sorry Mike."

"No harm done." Mike laughed.

_--After School--_

"Michelle – _chica_?" Mike called after the girl.

Michelle turned around. "_Si?_"

"Well, I just wanted to know… what would you say if I went to the dance… in a dress?" Michelle gawked, then smiled.

"Oh! That would be so much fun! If you could get a wig, I have _las ropas perfectas _for you! You need to come over to my house – Mama won't be home, but Grace, my little sister, will. Ohh! We are going to have so much _fun_!"

"I'm glad you think so, Michelle, but what about the rest of the kids here? Remember that note…"

"Don't worry, Mike! If they don't like it, ignore them and have fun. It'll be dark anyways, so no one will recognize you."

Mike hugged Michelle tight. "Thank you so much, _chica_. You're the best."


	6. An Angel Indeed

**If I owned RENT, would I be writing fanfiction about it? I thought not.**

**The tights incident reflects my own first experience with tights.**

Michelle rocked her baby sister back and forth, trying to stop her crying.

"Shhh… shhh…" she crooned soothingly. She tried an old Spanish lullaby. No such luck. The doorbell rang. Mike. She carried Grace to the door and opened it. There stood mike, holding his backpack and a paper bag.

"_Hola!_ Sorry about the crying," she motioned to little baby Grace in her arms and opened the door wider. "Come in! We'll work in my room and the bathroom mainly, but first I need to get this little one to sleep."

"May I try?" volunteered Mike.

"It can't hurt." Michelle carefully handed Grace to Mike. He cradled her, slowly rocking the cranky baby back and forth, rubbing her tiny palms with his thumb. He sang a slow nonsense song in her ear, and she quieted almost instantly.

"How did you do that?" Michelle was amazed. "Mike, you're an ang-"

"An angel? Yea, I've been told that one before."

"Well, it's true." Michelle was rewarded for her compliment with a warm smile from Mike. Looking over Mike's shoulder, Michelle saw the clock. It was 4:15, and the dance was supposed to start at 6.

"C'mon." Michelle grabbed Mike's thin wrist and led him down a short hallway into her room.

She got out all of her makeup, and put it on the little table underneath her simple mirror. Mike looked at it, astounded. He never knew that girls could use so much stuff on their faces. Michelle noted his surprised look.

"That's for later." She explained. "First, we need to get you into a dress. Then comes the wig, and then the makeup is last."

"Alright." Mike agreed.

"Now," she handed him a piece of smooth material, and two strips of some stretchy stuff. "That's your dress and tights, go put them on! The bathroom's right across the hall."

Mike walked across the hall, into the white and blue tiled bathroom. He lay out the dress and tights, just looking at them. They were not things he could imagine Michelle wearing – a black minidress with white edges, a zebra striped belt and zebra striped tights.

Mike took a deep breath, and unbuckled the belt of his baggy jeans. They slipped to the floor, and he picked up the tights. He shook his head at the zebra stripes, and plunged his small foot into one leg of the tights, then the other into the other leg. He quickly got tangled in the mass of black and white, and considered calling Michelle for help, but then he remembered that he had no pants on, and asking her to help him put on tights would prove to be an awkward situation, even his he was gay. He took them off and started again, this time trying to put them on like socks, one foot all the way, then the other. Once he got one on correctly, he could not bend his leg all the way up to his waist in order to put the other foot in. He tried, but then- _CRASH!_

"Mike?" Michelle's worried voice rang through the door. "Are you okay?"

"_Uno momento, chica!_" he called back. He threw his own pants back on, and stormed back to Michelle's room, holding the tights.

"These things are torture!" he exclaimed.

Michelle giggled. "Couldn't figure them out?" she asked.

"No," pouted Mike.

"Okay, I'll help."

"Uhmm… how?" Michelle glared at him, and pulled a pair of bright blue tights out of her drawer. She sat down on her bad, and invited Mike to do the same. He sat, and she held the tights out in front of her. Mike sat down and did the same.

"Now, you take one leg and scrunch it all the way up like this," She gathered all of the material of one leg into a little scrunched loop, holding the edges apart with her thumbs. Mike did the same.

"You put your foot there, like a sock, but be careful, these things break, and bring it up to you knee. Do the same with the other foot, and then bring them both up to your hips at the same time. That should work. Now, shoo!"

Mike went back into the bathroom, got the tights on correctly, figured the dress out by himself, and got the belt on perfectly. He walked back into Michelle's room to see her setting up all of her makeup stuff on her makeshift vanity. She looked up, hearing him come in

"Mike!" she squealed. She looked him up and down.

"We have one problem." She said.

"Is the belt wrong... what?"

"No, you got that _perfecta_, but, dear, it's that you don't have boobs. Mike looked down.

"Oh, yea."

"Well, there's only one solution."

"And that is…?"

"A padded bra."

"Oh, dear."

"Well, you are a boy…"

"Thanks for reminding me."

"Alright, if you weren't gay I totally would not ask this, but could you unzip the back of your dress to the belt?"

"I'm glad I'm gay." Mike obliged. Michelle directed him in how to put the bra on, and she helped him fill it with tissue.

"If I ever become a drag queen, I will need to get a non-tissue filled one of these." Mike commented.

"That's what dances are for." Michelle zipped the dress back up, and looked at her handiwork. "Looks great!" she pronounced.

"Can I get a mirror?"

"No. I need to finish before you can look."

"Oh… _por favor?_" Mike begged.

"No. Now, you said you had a wig?"

"_Si, esta aqui_" Mike pulled a simple black bob out of the paper bag he had carried in.

"Oh… _que lindo!_ (how cute) Put it on, put it on." Mike slipped the wig onto his head.

"It's itchy. I don't think I can keep it all night-"

"You're going to have to, honey. Here, I think this might help." Michelle handed him a simple black headband. "Put that on under the wig."

Mike obeyed, and his transformation from male to female was almost complete.

"Mike, honey, we might have to rename you, it looks so realistic! All you need is a little makeup…" she quickly applied some lipstick, blush, and eye shadow to Mike's face. Michelle stepped back to consider eyeliner.

"Hmm… I think your eyelashes are long enough to avoid eyeliner. I don't like the stuff much, and I doubt you will."

"Okay," Mike agreed, "But do you really think we need to rename me?"

"Of course, _chico_ – or should I say _chica_ now? – Well, in either case, we need to. We can't have you go around looking like that and being called 'Mike' now can we?"

"Well, then… how about Angel? It can come from Michelangelo, and you did say-"

"Perfect. You are now my Angel-chica."

"Wait a minute, you need a new name, too now!"

"We'll decide that after I get dressed." Michelle shoo-ed Mike-now-Angel out of the room so that she could change.

When she stepped out the door, she looked nothing like the timid Michelle Mike had met on the first day of school. She was wearing a black halter top with red sequins on it and a pair of black tights with a dark red almost black miniskirt over them. She was wearing platform black sequined shoes to match the shirt. Angel just gawked.

"Honey if I weren't gay…" was all he could get out.

"Thanks, Mi- Angel." She stuttered over his - _no, her_, she corrected herself - name.

"You defiantly are not my timid Michelle-chica. You do need a new name."

"Uhmm.. well yours comes from your own name. What nicknames could some from mine?"

"Shell?"

"No."

"Shelly?"

"No. Mimi?"

"Ohh! I like that one. I'm Angel-chica, and you are Mimi-chica."

"But only while we are in these clothes. If we go around school in out normal clothes being called Angel and Mimi, it would get weird. Especially for you, _chica_."

"Alright."

"Now, let's go to the dance!"

**Yay! I kept on typing Angel in the last chapters rather than Mike, but now I can type Angel, Angel, Angel!**

**Wow, this was a long one. I have been working on it since the last update, though, so that's a little obvious.**


	7. I Dance Part 1

**I am SO tempted to put Collins here. But, no. Angel needs someone else. Sorry, CollinsAngel fans, I promise Collins will get into this story by the end.**

**And I'm sorry to the MimiRoger people, too, but Mimi does need someone else. Once more, I promise he will wander his way into the story later.**

**Disclaimer: Well, no one reads these so I'll put a little joke: Ducky owns RENT. See you laughed! So, yea, Read & Review, please! I know some people who are reading aren't reviewing!**

The arrived at the doors to the gym. An usher demanded they show their student IDs, and he almost didn't let Angel in. He made Angel prove that he really was Mike, and Angel just lifted a corner of the wig up. The usher scoffed and let them both in. It was dark, just as Mimi had predicted, with lasers and lights and – was that a smoke machine? It was heaven for Mimi. She could just move her body and _dance_ all she wanted. She and Angel found Street and Gaby in a corner, being wallflowers. Mimi pranced up to them.

"C'mon, you two! Dance! Live a little!"

She got mumbled "no"s in response

"Why not?"

More mumbling.

"Suit yourself." She went over to the dance floor, and Angel did a little hop-skip wave and followed her. Street stared at her, wondering.

"Hey, Gabbs?"

"Yea?"

"Doesn't that girl dancing with Michelle look really familiar?"

"Yea, the face does. I wonder what her name is?"

-

Mimi and Angel were having the time of their lives. Angel had completely forgotten that she was really a boy, and copied Mimi's moves to the best of his ability. And she was good. Mimi saw Gaby walking up to the pair of them, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, Gaby!" Mimi greeted her.

"Hey, Michelle. Who's your friend?"

"They call me Mimi for the night, hun. And this is Angel."

"Hi, Angel." Mike waved back, winking at Michelle. Gaby didn't suspect a thing.

"Hey Miche- I mean Mimi, where's Mike? You two are usually inseparable." Angel laughed out loud at this one.

"Oh, he's here." Mimi kept a completely straight face.

"_Donde esta?_"

"I'll show you. Go get Street and meet me by the tree just outside okay? Angel and I have something to show you." Gaby scampered off, and Angel turned to Mimi with a worried look on her face. She was turning back into Mike.

"Mimi-chica, are you sure…?"

"Of course. They are our friends, Angel-chica. If they don't accept it, too bad for them." She frog-marched Angel over to the tree, winking and waving at the cuties that gave her a second glance all the while.

"_Chica…_" Angel warned when she saw this behavior.

"I'll be careful, don't you worry."

"Of course, _chica_…" But she made a mental note to keep an eye out for her.

They were at the tree by now, and waiting calmly for Gaby and Street. Mimi saw two figures running towards them, and called out,

"Gaby1 Street! Over here!"

The figures changed their course and walked towards the voice that just called them.

"Michelle? Where's Mike?" Street asked once he got there.

"Mike's right here." Mimi motioned to Angel.

"But, you just said that this is Angel." Gaby pointed out, confused. Angel bowed his head and took off the wig.

"Hi, I'm Angel." He said simply. "Formerly known as Mike." He gave a little laugh.

"'Oh my god…" Gaby said softly. Street shook his head and looked disbelieving.

"You actually… really… did it." He could not believe it. He reached over to hug his friend. Angel hugged him back as if this had happened before, but they both knew that no one would mention it ever again. It was an unspoken rule that Mike was Mike and Angel was Angel… two different people.


	8. I Dance Part 2

**Thanks a ton to all my reviewers, I love you guys! –hugglez-**

**I have been trying to make longer chapters, but it's hard. I promise that I will strive for two full pages in Word for each chapter.**

**Now for Dance Part II**

**This shall be fun**

**Don't own any RENT-related wonderfulness. There are a few OCs I do own, though.**

The four friends walked back inside, and were hit full force with the music. Angel and Mimi grinned at each other and grabbed Gaby and Street and dragged then to the dance floor. The four of them were moving with the beating pulse of the music, when the DJ announced,

"And now it's time to slow down just a bit. Guys, grab your lady and bring her to the middle for a slow dance." Street turned to Gaby and made a little gesture with his hand to go to the dance floor, and she nodded. The two of them disappeared in the crowd, and Mimi and Angel started towards the door. Mimi looked around at the dance floor in hopes that she might see Gaby or Street so she could with them luck, but they were nowhere to be found. She instead found one of the hotties she had winked at earlier, and he was alone, looking for someone. His eyes wandered over to her, and his face lit up. He found who he was looking for.

Angel, of course, saw all of this. She had turned around right when her Mimi stopped at the doorway.

"I'll be back," Mimi whispered to Angel.

"Have fun," Angel wished her friend, as she pranced off to meet her newest crush.

"Hey," Mimi said as soon as he was within hearing distance.

"Hey yourself," He replied. "So, uh, what's your name?" he asked. He seemed quite a bit older than she was, with longish chocolate colored hair and blue-green eyes.

"They call me Mimi," she replied.

"Cool. I'm Will." He looked nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Would- wouldyouliketodance?" He asked, all in a rush.

"Sure," Mimi replied with a warm smile. She caught Angel's eye as she walked to the dance floor, hand in hand with the boy she just met. Angel winked, and Mimi smiled, turning her attention to her dance partner.

They got onto the dance floor, and moved slowly to the music. When it ended, they didn''t break away completely, they just sort of stood there. Mimi enjoyed the feeling of he hand on her him, and he bent down to whisper in her ear, "Let's go outside for a bit." Butterflies in her stomach, she happily obliged.

--

"You're new here, aren't you?" He asked as they sat in a bench beside the tree.

"_Si_, as of this year."

"Well, that much I understood," Will chuckled at himself.

"Am I that obvious?" Mimi didn't want to be viewed at 'the innocent little new kid' so much, now that school had been going on for a while.

"No, I meant your Spanish. I'm Spanish 1, and I don't understand any of it."

"Well, I could help you if you want." Mimi offered.

"I might take you up on that," Will smiled shyly at her. Mimi smiled back.

"Mimi, I, uhm, have a question,"

"Ask away."

"Well, uhm… what would you do if I…" he trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. Mimi waited for him to finish, but she found her lips being brushed with his instead. She kissed him back briefly, and he pulled away softly.

"… did that." He finished his sentence.

"I like you, too, Will." He pulled her into a kiss once more, and they went back to the dance floor, now with an upbeat song playing in their ears.

--

Angel was happy for her friend, really. Honestly, truly, she was happy for Mimi. She got just what she needed to get her on her feet at this school – a boyfriend. Something Angel would never have, not in this town. She slunk against the wall, until a boy he knew from chemistry class came up and leaned against the wall next to him.

"Hey, Mike."

"Hey, Bret… wait. How did you know who I was in a dress?"

"Mike, I'd know you anywhere. We've been in at least three of each other's classes since middle school."

"Well, Mimi did a pretty good job so I thought…"

"Nope. You're still Mike."

"Well, no. While I'm in drag, I'm Angel."

"Okay, Angel."

Angel smiled. "Thanks, Bret."

Bret was in sophomore year, the year Angel should be in. He had been Mike's best friend ever since sixth grade, where they really hit it off. Bret was Mike's first peer to know that he was gay, and he didn't even think twice about it. He just accepted it and moved on. Mike, however, had not moved on. He only told Bret half the story… it was Bret that helped him realize that he was gay.

"I like how you did this, Mike."

"Angel."

"Right, Angel. Anyhow, I think it's cool that you can just be who you want. That takes courage. Wish I could do that."

"Why would you need to?" Mike asked?

"Because… oh, shit, Mike, I never told this to anyone. Mike… I'm like you.

I'm gay, too."

Mike was astounded. His best friend was gay and he hadn't realized? How did he miss that, when he'd had a crush on him since about 8th grade?

"how are you sure?"

"Well… it really was you that helped me."

Oh, god, was he saying what he hoped?

"Mike… I really like you… as more than a friend. I just had to tell you. I- I'll leave now." Bret turned to leave.

Angel unstuck her throat, and gasped out a "No."

Bret stopped in his tracks. He turned around, his face only centimeters from Angel's.

"I like you, too." Angel whispered, and brushed her hand against Bret's cheek. She leaned in, and got what she wanted since 8th grade.

Her first kiss.

"I guess this outfit really did help."

**I'm sorry, MimiRoger and CollinsAngel people! I promise they will be here eventually!**


	9. Where the Spanish Babies Cry

**There are two parts that I _really_ wanted to write. And this is one of them.**

**I used an automatic translator for most of the Spanish here, so it might not be correct.**

**And I still don't own it.**

**Oh, yea, and this is a few days after the dance.**

"_Mama, yo estoy aqui!_" Mimi called out as the came in the door from school. She could hear the clunky sewing machine. The humming of the machine stopped, and she heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Michelle Maria," her mother began. Michelle knew she was in trouble. Her full name was being used.

"Michelle, my baby, is it true?"

"Is what true, mama?"

"That you- you went dancing with that unnatural… boy?"

"I danced with a few boys mama, which one do you mean?"

"The one who has your dress, Michelle. The one with your dress." Michelle hung her head.

"_Si, mama_. Mike came over and we got ready for the dance."

She watched in horror as her mother's knees fell to the ground, her face turned towards the sky. "Haven't I brought you up right? Oh, _Santa Maria_, what have I done wrong to deserve this?"

Michelle went to go comfort her mother. "Mama, what I have done wrong? He is _mi amigo. _He helped me on my first day of school."

"But he is… _él tiene gusto de muchachos_! It is… _no correcto_! Not right! _Entender, Michelle Maria?_"

"_No, Mama. No entienda._" Michelle shook her head softly. Bad move. Her mom exploded.

"You don't understand? How can you not understand how evil that boy is? Next thing I know, he'll have AIDS and will try to make you a lesbian!"

"Mike would never do that!" Michelle screamed.

"Then why is her wearing your dress!"

"Because he didn't have one of his own!"

"And he shouldn't! Boys do not wear dresses!"

"That's what Mike wants, though, _Mama_! Mike wants to be Angel!"

"Oh, now he has a girl's name?"

"Mama, Angel can be a boy's name, too."

"But you just said he wants to be a girl! G-d made him a boy, he should stay a boy!"

"What if G-d made a mistake?" Her mother's face contorted with rage. She stopped screaming, and said in a calm, controlled voice,

"Leave this house. Now. _Nunca deseo verte otra vez_. _Nunca._" Michelle was crushed. Leave?

"_Bien._" She found herself saying. She calmly walked to her room, got out her battered old suitcase and packed all her clothes, her prized possessions, and her schoolbooks. She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, her suitcase in hand, and she walked out the door. She didn't even look back at her mother.

_Now, where?_ She asked herself. Now that she thought about it, she was being really stupid. She had no clue where to go, and she had a few dollars, but not nearly enough to get anything to live off. She looked at the ground, and saw her feet moving. They were carrying her towards her school. Thank goodness it was close. She might be able to stay there until school started the next day, and then ask Angel, Street, and Gaby for advice. She sat down on the steps, looking at her hands.

"Hello there, girly." And oily voice came from above her. She looked up at the face. It was a pale face, with a small brown goatee and long brown hair tied in a ponytail behind it. He had a weird leather-looking coat on, and he was grinning at her as though she was a caught bird.

"Hello." She replied slightly stonily. She did not want anything to do with this man. He was creepy.

"You look sad. A pretty young thing like you should not be sad. Here, I have something that will make you feel like the million dollars you look like." She was flattered by the compliment, and curious. What could he have that could make her feel happy when she had just been kicked out of her house?

"Wanna see?" He asked. She nodded ever so slightly. "Here," he pulled out a tiny baggie of white powder, a spoon, a candle, and a matchbook. He handed them all to her, and explained.

"You light the candle, and put the powder in the soon, see? And you mix the powder with a bit of water and boil it over the candle. Then you put the liquid into the needle… you don't have one do you? Here, use one of my old ones… and you inject it into your veins right here." He pulled up a sleeve of his jacket and showed her the veins.

"It helps if you tie a cloth all tight here," he pointed to her arm, just above the elbow, "and hit yourself here, "he pointed to just below the crook of her arm, "a bit. Here, take all the stuff… I have a feeling I'll be seeing you sooner than you think." He walked away, leaving Michelle there to think. She wasn't as naïve as he thought she was – she knew what the powdery stuff was. And she knew it could hurt her.

But, she also knew that people would pay for it. She pocketed the items by her feet and waited.

After a few hours, it began to get dark. She was curled up, freezing. She pulled a worn-out sweater out of her suitcase, and curled back up, trying to use her long hair to keep her neck warm, and the oversized sweatshirt for the rest of her body. Her mind flitted to the packet of smack in her pocket, but she shook her head. _No,_ she told herself. _Never. Nunca, _she said over and over again.

She awoke to footsteps. It was still dark, and the footsteps were getting louder and louder.

"Oh my Lord…" it was Mike.

"Mike…" she sounded pitiful. "Angel…"

"Shh," he shushed her. "Mimi-_chica_, what are you doing at school in the cold?"

"_Mi mama… no puedo volver a mi casa._"

"Oh, _chica_… come with me, I'm sure _Abuela_ will help you."

**Spanish translations (once more, I used an internet translator so yea):**

**_Mama, yo estoy aqui!_" – Mama, I'm here!**

**_él tiene gusto de muchachos_ - The boy likes boys!**

**_no correcto_! … _Entender, Michelle Maria?_ – It's not right! ... Do you understand, Michelle Maria?**

**_No, Mama. No entienda._ – No, mama, I don't understand**

**_Nunca deseo verte otra vez_. _Nunca._ – I never want to see you again. Never.**

**_Bien_ – good.**

**_Mi mama… no puedo volver a mi casa_ – My mom… I cannot return to my house.**


	10. Cutting Room Floor of Memory

**Once more, mi Espanol es muy bad, so please bare with me okay?**

**I am not J. Larson**

**And to clarify: I shall be calling Mike a he while not in drag, and Angel a she while in drag.**

**And Mike's grandma calls him Angelo, but its pronounced An-hell-oh**

_**Italics are either flashbacks or Spanish (translations in parenthesis). Context will probably tell you which one.**_

As he walked through the door of his house dragging Mimi in tow, Mike called, "_Abuela! ayudarme, por favor!_" (Grandma, help me please!) An elderly woman came out from around the corner.

"_Angelo! ¿quién es ella?_" (Who is she?)"

"_Yo estoy Mimi._" Mimi replied weakly.

"_Ella es enferma, Abuela._" Mike replied to his grandmother's quizzical look.

"_Te ayudaré_" (I will help her) Mike's grandmother took Mimi gently by the arm and led her to a battered old couch. She was too weak and cold not to follow. Mike sat by her head and stroked her hair soothingly.

"You're strong, _chica_, you'll get over this…" he whispered words of comfort into Mimi's ear.

"_Ella necesita las mantas_." (She needs blankets) Mike's grandmother nodded and went to fetch the blankets. She came back a few minutes later with three neatly folded mismatched blankets She carefully tucked Mimi into them, making sure her feel, neck, and arms were all covered. She sat down on her knees by Mimi's head.

"We haven't been introduced. I am Michelangelo's grandmother. Call me _Abuela_, please. I'm not sure if her told you, but -"

"I haven't told her."

"Well, you should." Abuela got up and left, casting a meaningful look at Mike

"Tell me what, Mike?" Mike hung his head.

"Mike…"

"Okay."

_A small boy sits on his mothers lap. They both look so happy in that photograph. Mike knows that his mother, his loving mother from that photograph, is long gone. She died so many years ago he doesn't know if she was a dream or not. Sometimes it was easier for her to be._

"_Mike!" a voice called from the other room._

"_Si, Papa?"_

"_Come here for a minute, Mike. I need to talk to you."_

"_Yes, Papa. I'm coming."_

_Papa was a nice man, always laughing when Mama was around. He loved her with all his heart and soul, and she loved him as well. He was scarred so deeply when she died… he hardly smiled anymore. Never played his guitar either. There was no happiness in his face._

"_Mike, I need to tell you something."_

"_I'm listening, Papa."_

"_Angelo… do you know why your Mama died?"_

"_Yes, Papa, you said she was sick."_

"_Si, Angelo. But… she was sick all her life. Angelo… she had AIDS."_

"_What's that mean, Papa?"_

"_Her immune system… it wasn't good, Angelo. If she got a cold, her body could not fight it and she could have died a million times. We were lucky to have her so long."_

"_I miss her, Papa."_

"_I know you do. I miss her, too. But, Angelo, listen. I have AIDS, too. That means that you have it, too."_

"_Does that mean I'm sick? Am I going to die?"_

"_Yes, you are sick, and you are going to die sooner than most people. The doctors say that you're going to live until about 23. Angelo, I needed to tell you this..." tears started appearing in his Papa's eyes._

"_What's wrong, Papa? Before what?"_

"_before you live with Abuela."_

"_Why, Papa, where are you going?"_

"_I'm… Angelo, my angel… I'm dying."_

"Now I live with Abuela… Papa died a few weeks later."

"Mike, _mi chica_…" Mimi hugged Mike close.

"_Esta bien_, _chica_. I love _Abuela_, no one can replace her."

"But, Angel, have you told Bret?"

"No, _chica_… I haven't."

"You need to."

"_Yo se, chica._" (I know)

**Okay, so it was, for the most part, pointless, but I wanted to write something where our Angel wasn't raped or somehow forced to have AIDS; he was born with it.**

**Thank you.**

**And please review! I see some unfamiliar names on Story Alert…**


	11. Sisters? We're Close

**Not much to say here.**

**If I owned it, I'd be rich and not owe my mom $8 anymore.**

**Oh, yea, and I forgot to mention that Michelle is going by Mimi full-time now. Only her parents (good riddance) and teachers would call her Michelle.**

"Mimi-chica, you're all cleaned up. Now, what were you doing at school, alone, in the dark with a suitcase?" Mike demanded.

"I got ki-… I ran away."

"_¿Por qué?_" (why?)

"Because… Mike, she was saying how I couldn't hang out with you, and she was insulting you. I couldn't deal… she was saying how you were not right, you were a mistake for wanting to wear my dress..."

Mike's face hardened at every word. Mimi started to cry.

"She said she never wanted to see me again, so I left. I couldn't deal with it, Mike. She was telling me how _bad_ you were, when you're not!" Mike fell against the younger girl, holding her tight.

"It's gonna be okay, _mi chica_. You can live here, we'll take care of you, right _Abuela_?"

"_Por supuesto, Angelo. Ella es tu amiga y tu hermana_." (Of course. She is your friend and your sister) Abuela replied. Mimi was overjoyed. She had a family again. She had the older brother… sister… she's always wanted, and a loving grandmother. All she needed now was-

"Grace!"

"_Que?_"

"Grace! My little sister, I left here there. I left her at my mother's house, with that _perra_! She won't take care of her, she'll make her into a _pequeño_ (small) version of her!" Mike looked Mimi straight in the eye.

"We can't save her, _chica_… it's too late. She'll be on the lookout for you." Mimi wept. She has always been the one to care for the toddler… now she will probably never see her again.

"Dry your tears, honey. Let's get you a room." Mike helped Mimi up, and helped her bring her suitcase up to his room.

"I think we can share _mi dormitorio _(my bedroom) for now, until we can clear out a space for you."

"_Esta bien_" (that's okay) Mike noticed Mimi's terse behavior.

"Mimi-_chica_… you can't dwell on this. That will just make it worse. Cheer up. Let me see your beautiful smile." Mimi tried. She really did try, but she missed her sister already.

"Well, _chica_, it's a start. Now, we've got to get you settled in. let's put your suitcase over there…" Mike set to work as he set up a makeshift bed.

"Mike? Uhmm…"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Well, uhm. Does Abuela… know?"

"She knows I'm gay, sweetheart. _Chica_, I don't hide. Ohh! I didn't tell you about Bret, did I?"

"No, you didn't!" Mimi squealed. They were talking late into the night about Will and Bret just like two sisters.

**Gahh! Major writer's block here. Sorry it's so short. I will be back with another chapter soon-ish though. But don't be too happy… it's gonna be a sad one.**


	12. Your Heart Has Expired

**I'd sell my soul to own RENT. But, then again, who says that there is a soul?**

**Still recovering from writer's block, so if it's bad, please just bare with me until later.**

**Oh, yea, and I'm renaming all the chapters to be quotes from RENT.**

Mimi and Mike walked through the doors to school together, still chatting about the new living arrangements.

"You know, you could always just stay in my room – you don't have to move out."

"Mike, _chico_, I don't want to crowd you…"

"You won't. _Tue s mi hermana_, remember?" (You are my sister). Michelle hugged Mike at this statement.

"I know, and I love it!"

"What?" Street overheard them.

"Oh, yea. This beautiful _chica_ over here moved in with me." Mike explained. Gaby jumped up and down.

"Oh, that's great! We should have a party! Will and Bret could come and…" Gaby was in full-out party planning mode.

"Speak of the devil…" Street muttered under his breath. Bret was walking towards them. He hugged Mike, and turned to face Street. They had a little stare-down until the bell broke it and they all went off into different classes.

--

At lunch, Mimi met up with Will who greeted her with a kiss. Bret finally decided to come out as gay around school, so he and Mike had no problem with PDA. The school could not do anything at risk of being sued. Abuela may be an immigrant, but she knows what she's doing. No one doubted that after what she did when she school was giving Mike purposeful bad classes because he was gay.

The six of them were getting crowded around the small table. Three couples, it was too perfect. They finished their food and were all sitting around the table chatting as usual, when Mike said suddenly,

"Bret? Can I talk to you a sec?"

"Is it bad…"

"I don't think so. Please?" Mimi gave Bret a look. She knew what Mike was going to talk about. She silently wished him luck.

"Sure…" Bret followed Mike out of the cafeteria into the empty bathroom. Mike closed the door and turned around to face Bret.

"Bret, honey, you know how… how we can tell each other everything?"

"Of course."

"Well… I just think we should be careful."

"Of what? Mike…" Mike's water brown eyes looked straight into Bret's green ones.

"Bret… Bret, I have AIDS. I meant to tell you, I really did." Bret's eyes turned stone cold.

"Bret, please don't look at me like that… Bret! Please don't walk out the door, I still want you Bret! BRET!" he screamed as he saw his ex-boyfriend's back falling away from him. He followed the blue shirt down the hall, pleading.

"Bret, please. Can… can we talk? Don't get mad, please, Bret. Please say you still want me…" Bret turned around, tears in his eyes as well.

"I wish I could say that, Mike. I really do. But… you lied to me. You _lied_ to me. Mike, I hate liars. And you have AIDS… Mike, I can't deal with that! We could never go as far as I want, because of a mistake that you fucking made!"

"I didn't make the mistake, Bret! Listen to me! Bret, it was my parents!"

"Well, I don't want to pay for your parent's mistakes." Mike fell to the floor, sobbing.

"You said you loved me,"

"That was then. Now you have AIDS." Bret walked away.

"BRET!" Mike screamed one last time. Bret turned around.

"Oh, yea. I do have one more thing to say." Mike was hopeful for a flash of a second…

"You will never make a good drag queen. Stop trying."

… Then all hope vanished.

**Another short one, but its two in one day so it's allowed to be short. **

**Little contest: leave the funniest review with your favorite quote from this chapter and you get a plot bunny.**


	13. Playing Hookey

**I don't own (emotion, I) RENT.**

Mimi barely heard Mike's cry above the din of the cafeteria. She picked her way among the tables to the empty hall outside, to find Mike on the floor, his usually proud head hung and his shoulders limp.

"Mike!" she cried, and scampered over to him. Mike wasn't answering. He just sat there, looking catatonic. Mimi started slapping Mike's face lightly.

"Mike, Mike c'mon. Mike, _despierte, por favor _(please wake up)… Mike, please." His eyelids fluttered the tiniest bit.

"Mike… Mike please. C'mon, mike." The bell rang somewhere above them

"Mike, the bell just rang, people are going to see you. You have chemistry next, Mike. C'mon, let's go."

"No."

"Mike?"

"No, he's there."

"He's in chemistry?"

"He's in there."

"Well, then you don't have to go… you can come to study hall with me?"

"No. I don't want to be here, Mimi! I don't want to be…" he spread his arms out. "… here." Mimi was scared at this point. Mike was wilting away in front of her, and now he wanted to be taken away from the world.

"No, Mike. No, You can't just leave... Mike… let's just go home."

"_Bien_." The two of them quietly walked out the door. Their loud footsteps followed them home, filling the silence the neither of them was attempting to fill with words.

--

Shutting the door behind them, Mike slowly trudged to the room they shared. Mike just stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

"Mike…?" Mimi asked cautiously. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Mike made an apathetic little grunt.

"_Por favor,_ Mike?" (Please, Mike?)

"Okay." Mike told the whole story to his sister. Mimi was in tears by the end.

"Mike… Oh, Mike. I can't believe he said that! You are a great drag queen, Mike…"

"Ho do you know? I've only done it once, and with your help!"

"We're just going to have to do it again, won't we?"

"I couldn't… not at school!"

"Yes, you can. C'mon. Let's get you some practice with makeup."

--

The next day, Angel walked into history class, and took Mike's usual seat next to Mimi. Angel was getting stares from everyone in the class. She didn't have chemistry yet today, so she hadn't seen Bret, but she could not wait to see the look on his face.

Right before Will and Mimi's study hall, Gaby's Art class, Street's math, and Angel's chemistry, they all gave Angel a hug, wishing her luck. They got a few hisses and whispers of "faggots," as people walked by, but then they saw Will and backed away. And so, with a brave face, Angel entered chemistry.

Of course, Mimi watched from the doorway. Study hall never takes attendance, and she wasn't about to miss her sister's big moment.

Angel walked into the room; calm as anything She took her seat in the middle of the room. She had usually regretted getting this seat, because it was two seats away in both directions from Bret. Now she head her head high, not looking back at Bret's empty seat or to the door he was walking through now. His eye shot straight to Mike's seat… but he found Angel.

Angel looked up, and was faced with a gruesome surprise. Bret shaved his head. Angel was half-glad. It was one of the things she loved about him. His hair was always fantastic… but now it was gone. _Well, good riddance_. Angel thought. _Now I have less reason to miss him._

He leered over her desk.

"Hey. How you doing without me?"

"Better than ever, thank you for asking."

"You make a horrible woman, you know?"

Angel just smiled at him. A sweet smile, but Mimi could see the pain under it. What she said next shocked everyone.

"Honey, I'm more of a man then you'll ever be… and more of a woman then you'll ever get."

The teacher walked into the classroom just then, thank goodness. Bret looked like he was about to punch Angel.

Mimi looked at the clock, and then ran off to join Will at… uhmm… study hall….

**I rather like the end to this one, even if it is a little short.**


	14. An Old Tablecloth and Life Support

**I only own Abuela.**

**This is fluffy, so its short…**

**Kudos if you get the NYTW reference**

"Angelo!" Abuela called. "Have you finished _tu tarea_?" (homework)

"_Si, Abuela!_ Mimi and I are playing Monopoly!" Angel called back. "I'm the dog!"

"_Bien, bien_. I was going to teach you two how to make a skirt-" Mimi dropped the dice and followed Angel to the one huge table they used for everything.

"I thought that would get you two in here. Now help me clear _la mesa_." (the table). Mimi and Angel hurriedly cleared the table.

"Abuela... what are we going to use for fabric?" Mimi asked.

"I well one of our neighbors were going to get rid of this tablecloth, but I thought it was just too pretty." She pulled it out of a drawer, revealing a blue and gold tablecloth.

"Why were they going to throw it away?"

"Someone spilled wine or beer or something on it. They couldn't wash it, and they couldn't get the smell out. I used my lemon stuff and it came right out. They didn't want it back, so I just kept it. It will make pretty skirts, no?" Angel went up to it and inspected it.

"I don't see a stain."

"So we will make a skirt or two out of it. Please teach us how, Abuela!"

Abuela smiled and took out her box of sewing supplies. She handed a pair of scissors, a needle, and a spool of thread to both girls and sat them down. They hung onto her every word, copying as best they could. Mimi's turned out looking like a pillowcase, and Angel's was a bit frumpy, but Abuela just laughed her tinkling laugh and said,

"In time, girls. In time, you will get it right."

Mimi and Angel gave up on the skirts for the night, and went to go get the Monopoly board. They set it up again with Angel as the little doggy, Abuela as the hat and Mimi as the thimble. The room was soon filled with laughter and the board was filled with green plastic houses and little red plastic hotels. Until Abuela looked at the clock.

"_Mi dios!_ It's nearly midnight, You girls must be tired. Off to bed, off to bed." Angel and Mimi went reluctantly to clean up.

As they were getting dressed for bed, Angel turned to Mimi.

"Hey, Mimi?"

"_Si, chica_?"

"Nice pillow."

Mimi stuck her tongue out.

--

A bright orange flyer appeared on random lockers the net day.

_Having trouble with school, parents, crushes, life in general? Come to Life Support! We meet once a week on Wednesdays in the old classroom by the offices. Starting today! C'mon over and chat._

"Angel-chica!" Mimi exclaimed, pointing to the orange piece of paper on her locker. "Let's go… it could be fun!"

"Mimi, honey. I don't think I could…"

"Angel… please?"

"Why, Mimi. Why?"

"Because. You just got dumped because you have AIDS, and you need support other than me, Street, Gaby, and Will."

"Will what?" The chocolate-haired boy walked up behind Mimi, hugging her shoulders.

"Hi, Will." Mimi turned around and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss.

"So, Angel, will you?"

Angel thought for a moment.

"Only if you two come, too."

"Where are we going?" Mimi handed him the flyer.

"Uhmm… alright, but Mimi?"

"_Si_?"

"Don't expect me to get all touchy-feely and shit."

"No worries."

-- After school Wednesday --

"Alright, let's begin by introducing ourselves. I'm Andy"

"Uhm, I'm Alyssa"

"Max"

"I'm Mimi."

"Will."

"I'm, well, uhmm… I'm called… well my name is-" Angel stuttered

"What would you like us to call you?" Andy prompted

"Fagboy!" someone coughed. That pushed Angel over the edge. She held her head high, looked straight at him, and stated,

"I prefer Angel, and I would really appreciate it if you referred to me as a she." Angel smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

"Fine, we'll call you fag-girl!" A few members of the group laughed.

"She-man!" More laghter. Angel was getting even angrier.

Andy glared at them.

"What are your names?"

"Uhmm… Greg."

"George" Andy gave them a skeptical look, then said,

"Well, Greg and George, if you would please leave the room? We," he motioned to the rest of the group, "are trying to be an open and supportive group." They left.

"Now, where were we?"

-- After the meeting --

"Mimi?" Will asked, on the way to the lockers.

"Yea?"

"Never again" They all laughed. It _had_ been embarrassing to be there after everyone else left saying it wasn't "their place to be."

Maybe when they got older, thery'd appriciate it.

**Kinda short, sorry it took so long! I just had to get this one chapter in, and then I promise some more action will come up!**


	15. How Do You Measure a Year?

**I took a break and started writing other stuff, but now I'm back with this one. Yay.**

**Okay… FYI: I didn't want to do this but this needs it for the story to keep going.**

**Disclaimer: I saw Anthony Rapp at a book thing (yay!), but I don't own RENT…**

A year later, Abuela got sick. She was in then out then in the hospital again – and she didn't come out the second time. Her will was simple. One sentence: _I, Gabriella Ruby Dumoutt, leave all my possessions to Michelle Maria Marquez and Michelangelo Dumoutt-Schunard_.

Her funeral was simple, as well. That was one of her final requests.

_Angel on her left and Mimi on her right, she grasped both of their hands. Her wrinkled face was tired, and her eyes were looking somewhere beyond this world._

"_Angelo…" the name was weak in her mouth._

"_Si, Abuela. Estoy aqui." (Yes, Abuela. I am here.)_

"_Angelo… don't let others keep you upset. I love you as my daughter as much as I love you as my grandson. Don't make my funeral fancy… save that money for what you need. Keep being everyone's Angel… keep dancing and playing dress-up." A small chuckle quickly turned into a cough. One of the monitors blipped and then it went back to normal._

"_Mimi, my girl. Thank you for coming to my life. Thank you for helping my Angelo… I don't know the details, but I know that if it weren't for you, my Angelo would not be here. So thank you… I love you both" and her hand went limp. Angel checked her breathing… it was so soft you could hardly feel it, but it was there. She smiled reassuringly at Mimi, and for a split second they were both allowed the thought of Abuela surviving this._

_That's when the chaos started._

_The machines all started beeping at once._

_Nurses rushed in, pushing the two girls out of the way._

_They were shouting commands at each other._

_And then, one flat monotone beep._

_Abuela was still asleep… wasn't she? Just… asleep. Right._

_One of the nurses moved, and Mimi saw the machine that monitored her heart… it was one flat green line._

_She looked at Angel, and saw all the joy sucked out of the skirted boy._

_And the next thing she knew, she was on a wooden pew in a church._

Angel's voice drifted through her conscious mind.

"_Mi abuela es mi mama_," (my grandmother was my mom) Angel began. "She sheltered me and helped me survive through both my parent's… passings. She supported me in being gay. She did everything like a supportive parent… I loved her like _no otra_." (no other)

Suddenly, it was Mimi's turn to speak. Her legs carried her to the podium, her mind still in the hospital. She took a deep breath, and began.

"Abuela saved me. She took me in when I got kicked out. She treated me like a daughter of her own… I truly owe her my life. I only knew her for one year… but it felt like my whole life." A few words tumbled off her tongue to a tune.

**Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes**

**Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear**

**Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes**

**How do you measure, measure a year?**

Angel joined in, the words tumbling naturally out of her trembling mouth.

**In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights in cups of coffee**

**In inches, in miles in laugher in strife in**

**Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes**

**How do you measure a year in the life?**

Everyone there responded with

**How about love?**

**How about love?**

**How about love?**

**Measure in love.**

**Seasons of love.**

**Seasons of love… **

--

At the gravesite, Mimi read the inscription on her guardian's gravestone.

_Gabriella Ruby Dumoutt_

_Loving mother_

_Caring Abuela_

_Rest in Peace_

Mimi's eyes burned. These short words were true, yes, but they didn't capture much about her at all. It didn't capture her spirit, those moments when she really listened, or her open arms when you had tearstains on your face. Mimi felt an arm around her. She turned and saw Angel standing next to her, tears in her eyes, too. Eyeliner was crawling its way down her cheeks with the tears. Mimi wrapped the drag queen in a tight hug as they both walked away, arm in arm, from Abuela's friends and family.

**Yes, it's sad. Sorry for the long wait… this will be pretty sad for a while, but it does get better, I promice!**


	16. She Left a Note

**Sorry about the wait… don't kill me yet! Wait 'till the story's finished.**

**Oh, and I'm not sure how you all imagine it. But I am seeing this as the musical version of RENT with Daphne as Mimi.**

**I don't owe my mom $8 anymore, but I still don't own RENT.**

Arm in arm, heads held high, the two girls walked back to their apartment. Silently, Angel pulled her key out of the pocket of her coat and slid it in the keyhole. She didn't turn it. She just stood there staring at the door. Mimi didn't blame her. Angel's hand dropped, the key hovering in the doorknob. Her head was hung, and she just stood there.

"_No puedo, Mimi…_" (I can't, Mimi…) "_Por favor, no fuerza a mí en la puerta_" (please don't force me in the door). Mimi stroked Angel's back.

"_Esta bien… usted no necesita._" (It's okay… you don't need to)

"_No… yo necesito. Yo necisito._" (No… I need to. I need to.) They pushed the door open to reveal…

… the apartment. Exactly as it had been when they left it. But, it was empty. Sure, the furniture was there. All the clutter was still collected on the table. But the entire room screamed at the absence of Abuela. Neither Mimi nor Angel could see properly because of the tears clouding their eyes. They walked like zombies to their room, and both just sat on Angel's bad, holding each other. Mimi closed her eyes and let the tears take over her face. Angel held her head high, looking around their room. She found two small envelopes on their collective cabinet.

"_que es?_" (what's this?) She walked over to the envelopes. In simple black pen, the names _Mimi_ and _Angelo_ were written on them. They each opened their respective letter.

_Mimi –_

_I know that I was your birth mother or grandmother, but I loved you like one. I am writing this on my last night in this bed… my own bed… before I go to that awful hospital where I know I shall pass. No, my Mimi, I know I will pass soon. I am old, and it is my time to go. You are still young, but you are old enough to take care of yourself. Go into the world and show them your spirit. Show the world the feline you are. I want you to live your life to the fullest… every day as if it were your last. That way, you can do everything I never got the chance to, and I will be watching you, my Mimi. I'll be watching over you._

_Now, on an official note, I have put Angel in charge of you. Legally. I pulled a few strings, and she is your legal guardian, but don't stop being sisters because of it. That would make your Abuela sad. Now, go. Have fun. Laugh like a child again. Live._

_With love, always and forever,_

_Abuela._

_Angelo –_

_Thank you so much for being so brave. You held me together when I wanted to fall apart… you truly live up to your chosen name… Angel. Gracias, Angelo. Gracias. You meant so much to me… I don't know how to put this on paper. I know you are reading this on your bed after I have passed. Tomorrow I am going to the hospital – I know. When I pass, you are legally in charge of Mimi, but don't become her mother. Stay her sister, but look out for her as I would have. She still has some loose ends… help her tie them up. Be the Angel you are. Keep all your skirts – take some of my clothes and make them yours. You know how. I taught you enough for you to be able to go on your own and make a tablecloth into a dress. I love you, mi angel, don't ever forget that. I will be watching over you. Don't be scared of death, instead celebrate the life you have._

_Love always and forever,_

_Abuela._

Mimi finished reading her letter first. She watched Angel's tearstained face, as she read her own letter. Angel closed her eyes. She could not deal with all of this…

Angel looked at Mimi's face. Her eyes were enough to drive anyone over the edge. She was looking at Angel with such devotion and hope, but with a huge sadness mixed in them. Angel held her sister tight.

"_Tomaré el cuidado de usted_." (I will take care of you) she whispered into the younger girl's ear. "_No se preocupe_" (don't worry).

Mimi just cried.

-

The next day, the two of them went through their school day in autopilot. The classes were there, so were they. The teachers talked, and their ears heard, but their mind didn't comprehend. Their brains told their hand to write the word on the page, but their hands did not comply. Life had no detail. Even Angel had no color. Mimi only vaguely heard Will's demands of "what's wrong?" "Why are you like this?" "What's the problem?" Mimi finally broke,

"I don't want to talk about it okay?" Her hair whipped around her face as she snapped at her boyfriend. He looked taken aback. She stepped backwards, realizing what she just said.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I just… just need you to understand… I need space."

"How can I understand if you won't talk?" he asked gently.

"I don't know," tears slid down her cheeks "Just… be there for me, please?"

"Okay, shhh, okay." He held Mimi close as she leaned into him.

**Once more, don't kill me yet!**

**Next chap will be Mimi-centric I believe.**

**And I have finals prep this coming week and finals the week after that so there wont be many updates… sorry!**


	17. Dance in the Flames

**Okay this is one of those parts that you knew was coming, but you hate it. Am I right?**

**Oh, yea, and I have finals next week, and prep all this week. So probably no new chapters for about 2 weeks at most… if there is one, it shall be short.**

**And, I lied. It's not completely Mimi-centric. Tiny bit of Angel-POV in the middle.**

**-Insert disclaimer to RENT here-**

Wake up

Breakfast

School

Home

Homework

Dinner

Clean up

Shower

Wait for Angel to come back from her part-time job at the thrift store

Talk

Sleep

Wake up…

The routine went on and on. Mimi was getting sick of the mindlessness of it.

She wanted excitement, a thrill, like a roller coaster. She wanted to _live_ again like Abuela told her to. Life was getting boring without her constant little surprises or quips. Mimi felt like shit.

She looked the same – "Gorgeous as ever," according to Will, but she felt like a shell. She needed adrenaline. A stranger's voice drifted through her mind.

_I have something that will make you feel like the million dollars you look like…_

That's what she needed. That night was burnt into her brain – everything the man said.

Angel wasn't in the room… she was at the thrift store. So she was safe… Angel didn't have to know…

She remembered the instructions as if she heard them yesterday instead of last year.

_You light the candle, and put the powder in the spoon…_

_Mix the powder with a bit of water and boil it over the candle…_

_Then you put the liquid into the needle…_

_Tie a cloth all tight here…_

_And hit yourself here a bit…_

_Inject it into your veins right… here…_

_**Whoosh**_

It was the best feeling it the world. A floaty feeling. How could this feeling ever harm her? Why hadn't she done this before? She was dancing on clouds… never to come back down. She danced around the room, putting all her energy into dancing to the music on their small crappy radio.

To her disappointment, Mimi did come off the high in time for bed. She crawled under her covers, thinking about that feeling the high… _shit_. She thought.

_What the fuck am I doing?_

She wasn't sure if she wanted an answer.

-

Angel came back into the room from her part-time job to find Mimi collapsed on the bed.

_Poor thing. Must have had a hard day… didn't stay up to talk like she usually does. _

She didn't think twice about it. She just changed into a pair of sweatpants and a loose tank top and went to bed herself.

-

Mimi woke the next morning to find the needle she used the night before right next to her bed, on the floor. The candle lay unlit, and the plastic baggie still had about half of the smack in it.

_Shit_.

Had Angel seen it? She hoped not…

Mimi rolled out of bed and hid everything where it was before – her cardboard "treasure box" in the corner of the closet the sisters shared. Angel had given it to her saying; "everyone needs a little secret now and then." Well, this was a little secret, right? Mimi's little secret. Right. She heard Angel get up and drowsily make her way to the shower. She heard the water running and quickly got dressed so she could head for the kitchen and make breakfast for the two of them.

A bowl of brand-less sugary cereal and a glass of orange juice later, the girls were walking to school. Mimi recognized the spot where that oily man gave her the smack a year ago. And the candle, and the needle… _fuck_. The needle. She could have AIDS, now.

_Well he wouldn't have given you the needle if he had AIDS… right?_

_But what if he didn't know…?_

"What's wrong, honey?" Angel was now a full ten feel in front of Mimi. She haddn't realized that she stopped walking.

"Just… remembering. This is where you saved me, _si_?"

"_Si._"

"What were you doing out on the street at night? I mean… I just got kicked out, but you had no reason…"

"_El cielo._" (The sky) Angel replied. "It was so pretty that night… I just had to go outside and see it."

"I didn't notice…"

Angel laughed. "Of course you didn't, honey! You were probably looking out for yourself and keeping an eye peels for that drug dealer guy who hangs around here."

"What?"

"Oh, you obviously didn't see him." Angel pushed one of the school's double doors open. "He's pretty noticeable. Long, brown, greasy hair. Beat-up leather jacket. Always carrying around smack, trying to get us high schoolers addicted. I'll point him out to you later."

"Oh, uhm, okay." Damn. Would he recognize her? If he did, would he say anything? Mimi already regretted using the smack he gave her; it was leading to too many complications…

_What the fuck have I done?_

**Reviews are great, and they help me be less stressed for finals! Please review. And read Broke, Not Broken**


	18. Life Support

**This started out as a midnight writing – random flash of inspiration**

**And Liz decided to point out that I made a mistake, but it's arguable. Something about Bret….**

**And once more, I am sorry about the wait! –feels very guilty-**

For a while, Mimi was fine. She was a smart girl, she knew what she had done, and she didn't quite like it. But at that point she knew that she would never do it again. It was just that one time! One time can't kill you.

Everything was fine for a few months. Angel's job plus a trickle of money from friends of Abuela's kept them alive. They sold some of the stuff they never used any more, and Mimi sometimes sang in the street and got tips. Angel took a hint from her and started drumming in her spare time. For a while, everything was great.

Then it all fell apart again.

The familiar lunch table that was formed over a year ago was alive with chatter. Gaby and Street had fallen apart, but they were still friends. Will grabbed Mimi's hand as they all stood up, ready to go collect their battered books for the next class.

"Mimi… can I talk to you?"

_No_

"Sure… _que paso?_" (what's up?)

"Mimi… when we first were going out we had all the spark and dazzle, sort of, right?"

She knew where this was going.

"_Si…_"

"Well, I'm not sure we have that anymore. It's been a year, Mimi. I think we've faded."

"So… we're done? Over? You just want to cast it away?"

"No, I still want to be friends with you, Mimi, but-"

"But…"

"But I can't just be _with_ you, you understand?"

_No_

"Sure. Okay. I have to get to class."

The bell rang. _Thank goodness._

"You have study hall."

_Shit_

"I'll be in the library."

-

The home situation wasn't getting any better. The helpful trickle of money from Abuela's friends dwindled then stopped, and the thrift shop wasn't paying enough. Neither of the sisters was doing well in school; they were both basic shells of people, mechanically going through the day-to-day motions.

"Pay attention, Miss Marquez!"

"Do you want detention, Shunard?"

"So nice of you to join us in the conversation, Mimi."

One day, Mimi spoke up.

"Angel-_chica_?"

"_Si._"

"I think we should go to the life support thing again"

"_Chica…_"

"You never know, it could help!"

"I'll go with you."

"_Gracias, _Angel!" (thank you, Angel) Mimi threw her arms around her sister. This would get them out of their routine… give them some life again. Without the drugs.

-

"And I see some old faces have joined us again. Welcome back, Angel. Mimi." They smiled. "Things have changed a lot since you came last year." Andy explained. He looked around at the group of faces. "Shall we introduce ourselves?"

"Miranda," was a girl with brown hair and brown eyes

"Alex." Could have been her twin brother

"Lu- Uhm. Lucy." A shy-looking whispy-haired girl said softly.

"Beth." Looked like a boy at first glance because of her haircut, but once you looked past the sandy brown hair, you could see the femininity.

"Tina" had blonde hair and blue eyes. She was sitting next to

"Liam."

"I'm Lili." A girl with red hair announced.

"Becca." A girl with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses said somewhat forcefully.

"Who would like to begin?" Andy turned to the group. Miranda twirled her hair around her finger and stood up. Mimi was surprised at how short she was. Her soft voice filled the room.

"I- well… I'm having a bit of trouble with my parents."

"How so?"

"They don't really approve of me taking art, but I love it. They forced me into taking stocks, instead."

"How?"

"I do some art at home, and they took away my paints until I agreed to take stocks… I can't live without my paints!" Miranda cried

"Have you told them that?"

"No, but they-"

"Try to make them understand you want to take art more."

"But-" she protested

"What's our motto?"

"Uhm… 'There's only us, there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road no other way, no day but today.'" She recited. The phrase seemed to fill her with hope.

"Now what do you need to do?" Andy prompted.

"I need too... tell my parents that I need to take art." She sounded a lot more sure of herself.

"Very good!" Andy beamed. Above them, a bell rang.

"Clubs are over… See you next Wednesday!"

-

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Mimi asked Angel.

"No, no, no. I rather enjoyed it. That 'No Day But Today' thing is cool…"

"_yo se_… we should go back."

"_si si si…_ we should."

**If I mis-represented any of you, I am terribly sorry!**


	19. Mimi did look pale

**Thank goodness for Tina.**

**That's all I have to say.**

Flames were all around her. She held onto an arm, it was pulling her through, saving her. Suddenly, it was wrenched out of her hand, and she was left to run alone. Her feet were rooted to the ground, she couldn't move. She could hardly breathe, her head was spinning. With what she thought her last breath would be, she screamed Will's name out. Her knees suddenly bent, and her face fell into a flame. She lifted her head, her long hair in her eyes, to see Will standing just out of reach, just outside the fire, laughing.

_And now you're nothing without me…_

_You said you wanted to be friends!_ She screamed at him.

He just laughed as the flames engulfed her. It was hot, too hot for her. She put her hand to her forehead, and found that she was drenched in sweat. Her hair suddenly caught fire it was burning shorter and shorter- it was about to reach her scalp! She could feel the heat at very close range-

BANG

She dropped off her bed to the cold floor. Her arm and knees throbbed as she looked around, reorienting herself. She found the edge of her bed again and, careful not to wake her sleeping sister, she climbed back into bed. She could not sleep again; every time she closed her eyes, she saw Will's laughing face jeering back at her.

She watched as sunlight poured into the room, counted down the seconds until the alarm for Angel to wake up went off and as soon as she heard water running, she got out of bed and rubbed her eyes.

_This is going to be a long day._

-

"Miss Marquez?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you tell us what is wrong with this sentence?"

_The dogs lifted up his paw and they jumped over the fence._ Was written on the board.

"Uhm… no?"

"Well you have obviously not been paying attention."

"No, Mrs. Stou. _Lo siento_." (I'm sorry)

"Please see me after class, Miss Marquez."

"_Si_, Mrs. Stou."

"Now, Sir Veagas, please correct the sentence on the board."

-

Mimi stayed in her seat as everyone filed out of the classroom. Angel mouthed _meet you at lunch_ at her on her way out. Mrs. Stou closed the door and walked over to Mimi's desk.

"Mimi, I'm worried."

"Mrs. Stou, I know my grades are not the best in English, but I am trying. Honestly-" Mimi began, sounding almost desperate.

"Shhh. That's not why I'm worried, Mimi. You don't seem well at all."

"What?"

"All I'm saying is that for the past week or so, you haven't been doing as well as you did earlier. Are you getting enough sleep?"

"_Si, senora._ I'm sure I'm quite healthy," The needle flashed through Mimi's brain.

"In any case, I think you should take tomorrow as a sick day. For your own health." Mrs. Stou honestly did look concerned.

"I'll see what Angel thinks." The teacher smiled.

"Thank you, Mimi." She opened the door for the girl, who scampered off to lunch.

-

Mimi slid into her usual seat, scowling.

"What did she want, _chica_?" Angel asked immediately.

"She said I looked sick," Mimi replied. "She wants me to stay home tomorrow and catch up on sleep."

"You do look pale, Mimi." Gaby pointed out. Street nodded, then looked at Angel. Mimi looked at her, too, begging her not to agree. Angel bit her lower lip, and slowly nodded. Mimi slumped in her seat. They had obviously talked about this.

"Fine," she said tersely.

-

A week passed since Mrs. Stou expressed concern. Mimi wasn't getting any better – now she had developed a cough that just wouldn't go away.

"Mimi-chica, I think you need to see a doctor…"

"No. No, _chica_. _No deseo ver a un doctor_." (I don't want to see a doctor)

"Honey… you could be seriously sick."

"No! No, I'm not!" Angel glared at her little sister. Mimi backed down.

"_Bien_," (okay) she said resentfully.

-

"So when did this start?" The doctor asked.

"A few weeks ago. One of our teachers noticed it first."

"And you say you are the patient's legal guardian."

"_Si_."

"As well as her brother."

"Sister."

"Alright, sister."

"_Si_."

"Alright. And she has not been getting better?"

"Correct. If anything, she's been getting worse." They spoke in undertones just outside the shut door where Mimi was getting changed into the little gown she had to wear. The doctor knocked on the door lightly.

"It's okay!" Mimi called from behind the door, and then coughed. Angel could tell she was trying to swallow it.

"Mimi, I am Dr. Bennick. We are going to run a short series of tests to see what might be the problem. The fact that this simple cough has not let up is slightly concerning me… I think it's only fair for you to know it might be AIDS." Mimi's eyes filled to the brim with fear at these words. Dr. Bennick paused a moment, then said,

"So, Mimi, if you will sit on the table-bed just there…"

-

"Your results will come in a few weeks. We will call you when they arrive. Thank you!" a fake doctor's smile followed them out the door.

**And with that, I am leaving for Montana for a week. Shootmenow. Reviews help me be happy!**


	20. That's Where I Work

**I'M BACK! I worked on this while I was in Montana… and I did Over The Moon for the talent show there! That was fun. Everyone moo'd.**

Mid-term report cards came two days later. Mimi looked at hers, and her heart dropped. She had 2 C's, 3 D's, and 2 F's… she was failing. Miserably.

A pit formed in her stomach when she looked at Angel. _What's she gonna say…?_ Mimi watched her drag queen sister as she read the younger girl's report card. She hung her wigged head.

"_Chica…_" Angel began

"_Lo siento, Angel._" (I'm sorry, Angel)

"_Por que?_" (Why). Why was she sorry…?

"I'm failins out of school…"

"No," Angel interrupted. "Why are you failing?"

Mimi stared. What was she failinf? How should she know? Was she just not smart?

"_No se_…" (I don't know) she replied. "I honestly am trying, but…" she trailed off

"… but it's too hard?" Angel finished for her.

"_Si_." Mimi sighed.

"I will talk with the school-"

"NO!" Mimi exclaimed. She didn't want any kind of special treatment, or to be held back a year. Angel paused and looked at her.

"- I will tell them that you are to be homeschooled."

Mimi was confused.

"But- who-?"

"Me, of course. But there are other complications."

"Like what?"

"Like the GED. And as long as you are not in school, you should get a job." Angel looked very serious, She looked more like a 'legal guardian' than ever. Mimi had no clue what a GED was, but if it meant that much to Angel… she wanted her carefree sister back.

"I'll do it." Mimi nodded. Angel smiled a genuine smile. It warmed Mimi's heart, and suddenly they were sisters again. Angel leaned forward and held Mimi tight.

"_Manana_," (pronounced MAHN-yahn-ah; tomorrow) she said firmly. "_Manana_ I will talk to the school."

-

_Manana_ came and went. Mimi was allowed to drop out of sophomore year due to "old family hardships," and she got a job as a backup dancer for a start-up pop boy band. Her talent was quickly discovered and she soon replaced Christine, the old lead, who left to work at a strip club.

For a while thing worked out well. Mimi would go to practice with the band every day, then come home and Angel would make copies of the homework and do it with Mimi, explaining what she didn't understand. Street slowly dropped out of Mimi's life, as did Gaby. Soon, Angel was the only thing left from her 'old' life, and even then. Mike was gone. Michelle was gone, too. The timid little 15-year-old schoolgirl named Michelle had been replaced with a sexy dancing high school dropout. Things were stable with one and a half incomes…

… then all hell broke loose.

It started with a simple phone call. The answering machine picked it up.

_Beep_

"If Mimi Marquez is at the number, Please call Dr. Bennick at 338-4322. Your bloodwork is in and it's vital you talk to the doctor. If Mimi is not at this number… uh… have a nice day!"

Mimi's fingers trembled as she punched in the number.

"This is Dr. Bennick, how may I help you?"

"Hi, uh... this is Mimi Marquez. I uh-"

"Yes, Mimi… You were tested for HIV, correct?"

"Yes… uhmm…"

"Would you like to come pick up your results or shall I tell you over the phone?" he asked kindly.

"Just… tell me now, _por favor_." (please)

"Mimi Marquez, you tested… positive for HIV. The good news is that it's not full-blown AIDS yet, so you can take AZT to keep it under control. Mimi… Mimi are you there?"

Mimi had dropped the phone, but she heard every word. She clamored to pick it up again

"Yes…. Yes I'm here." She listened to the doctor explain everything, and then ask her to go to the clinic to pick up. She said that she would go as soon as she could.

Then came the cost.

"Mimi, we barely have enough. I think we both need to get better jobs…"

"How, Angel? I'm just a dancer. The only places I could go would be strip clubs."

"We need to get it Mimi. Just try… okay?"

Then came the work.

"The band… it's just not working." Joey announced one day.

She had to get a new job. Didn't Christine get somewhere? A strip club. Oh boy.

The neon sign loomed over her "CATSCRATCH CLUB" she walked in unemployed, and walked out with a source of income that just might work.

And that's where the trouble began.

**Sorry it's short… but hey I forgot to mention**

**I re-wrote my chapter Dance in the Flames (the drug one) for a writing contest, so that Angel wasn't in it, instead she lived with Mama, and I called it Mimi's Little Secret. I entered it into a class writing contest and I WON! This was a while back, but I still am proud of it.**

**I got a 95/100 on it, and I asked the teacher what 5 points I missed and she said "it's a matter of pride, no one can be perfect"**

**And… don't expect too many updates in the close future. I'm going to an acting camp for a month… sorry all. I love you!**

**Oh, yea, and I have a story up on Fiction Press… same pen name. Go see?**


	21. My Sister

**Wow I've been gone a while. Anyhow, this chapter is dedicated to Miranda (Rabid RENThead). She knows why. Mind out of the gutter, people.**

"Come on girls, make those men want you!" Mimi moved herself to the beat of the music around the pole she was assigned to that day. There were about a half dozen of them placed around the training room, with a girl on each one.

"These men aren't paying to see schoolgirl read books, they want sexy bodies!" the instructor snapped. She surveyed the room again

"Good job, Mimi! Keep the rhythm!" Mimi almost smiled at the compliment, but she didn't want to break her concentration. The music ended, and all the future dancers swung around the pole once more, and ended their dance in a pose on the floor.

"And… strut offstage." Two girls followed Mimi to the right, the other three went to the left. Mimi nearly collapsed against the wall. It was only the third day of training, and she was ready to fall asleep right then and there.

How did all the girls on the club stage dance like this every night, and not fall asleep on their feet? _I guess I must be out of shape._

"Again, this is the last run of tonight, then you girls can go home. Switch poles, girls. Sarah, I want you in front, and Claire can go in back this time."

The music stuck up again, a fast pulsing beat this time. She found the beat easy to work with. Relying on adrenaline, she twisted herself around a pole for the umpteenth time today. Mimi took a deep breath and braced herself for a high kick. She lifted her leg strong and fast, and the other foot fell out from underneath her. Suddenly, she was looking at the ceiling, flat on her back, with a throbbing pain in her head. Faint voices above her… she could hardly see.

"Mimi… Mimi are you okay?"

"Mimi, _chica_, are you there?

…

"_Chica, chica, es Angel._ _¿es usted despierto?_" (It's Angel. Are you awake?) Angel's worried voice drifted through Mimi's ears.

"Mmmm?" Mimi opened her eyes. Ick. Too much light. She squinted. Angel got the message.

"_Un minuto, chica_" (one minute) Angel said, hopping up. Mimi heard the clunk-clunk of Angel's platform shoes, then a click, and Mimi opened her eyes. She blinked a couple times as her eyes adjusted. _Thank G-d for the moon…_ she thought, re-orienting herself. She looked around… four walls, two beds, the closet was familiar… oh. She was home. Mimi could not believe it took her that long to figure it out. She shook her head at herself and her idiocy… bad idea. Massive pain.

"Do we have any Advil?" Mimi asked, sounding weaker than she actually felt. Angel silently left the room in search of the little red pills. The silence felt good on Mimi's ears, after the pounding of the music a few hours earlier, then the ringing in her ears that had FINALLY stopped… silence was golden, to use the cliché.

True to her name, Angel came back into the room with two red pills for headache relief. Mimi gulped them down along with the water Angel held in her other hand. Angel put her hand against Mimi's forehead and pronounced,

"No fever. But you had better rest tonight, and skip training tomorrow. You can learn the moves from a classmate tomorrow night, okay?"

"Angel, _chica-_"

"Honey, I almost had to take you to a hospital."

"- What happened? I blacked out."

"You slipped in training this afternoon, and blacked out. That was quite a blow to the head, sweetie. Anyhow, I brought you home."

"_Cómo?_" (how?)

"I carried you-"

"All that way?"

"It's not far, _chica_…"

"In the cold?"

"I was warm enough-"

"By yourself?"

"_Si…_"

"_Chica, _you shouldn't have done that! You could have gotten sick-"

"But I didn't," Angel said firmly. "And are you forgetting that you yourself could have gotten sick as well?" Mimi dropped the gaze she had been firmly holding an Angel at the last statement.

"_Somos hermanas_, Angel. We need to care for each other." (We are sisters) Mimi whimpered. "I was only trying to care for you."

"And I for you," Angel replied. "But you need to start by caring for yourself. _Su medicación ayudará. _(Your medication will help) Do as the doctor says." Angel put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"_Si… yo se_" (yes… I know) Mimi said slowly. Then, still in her stripper outfit, she rolled over on the bed and went to sleep. Angel watched her for a bit, then got into her PJs and went to sleep herself.

**And that, my dears, is the end of this chapter. Next chapter: Remember Grace? Here she comes…**

**Oh! And before I forget! I have a new story up, called Chocolate Kisses. It's soon to be an AngelCollins… go see!**


	22. You Okay?

**I just realized that I have over 100 reviews…. THANK YOU I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Katy (QuixoticLover), for knowing when to give it up and just go to sleep. (-;**

**Grace comes up in this chapter, and I am going to say that last time we saw her, she was just under 2 years old, so she'll be about 3 in this one, as a little over a year has passed.**

Angel woke up the next morning on time for school, expecting to see her sister sleeping in on her 'sick day.' She found a note in the place of Mimi's head.

_Angel chica –_

_Went for a walk. Needed to clear mi cabaesa (my head). Don't worry, hermana (sister), no dancing today._

_- Mimi_

Angel's heart went out to her sister, and still thinking of her, she dressed herself up, and walked to school.

-

_Pit pat pit pat pit pat_

Mimi's shoes padded against the grimy New York sidewalk. Looking around at everybody on the sidewalks and in the streets, she smiled. This is what she loved about New York, the variety. She saw couples taking early walks together before work, old ladies walking around enjoying the weather – brisk but not raining yet. One of the couples she saw was of two men – not an uncommon sight in the city, but it's not something you see every day. Mimi did her best not to stare, but when she did look over, she ended up looking right past the happy couple… at her mother, holding her baby sister's hand.

Only… Grace wasn't a baby any longer. Dressed in elastic-waist jeans and a pink shirt that said DIVA in sparkly letters. She was openly gaping at the gay couple.

"_Mama… ¿por qué ese hombre está besando a hombre?_" (Why is that man kissing a man?)

"_él no debe ser. es incorrecto._" (He should not be; it's wrong), her mother replied, spitting at the pair. Mimi stood, rooted to the spot. Her own sister… her own blood. Her heart pounding in her ears, she ran with tears in her eyes back to the place she now called home. Mimi knew that Angel would not be there, but she needed some comfort. A pillow, a jacket of hers… something to let out all her anger at her mother and sister-

No.

That little girl was not her sister.

Her blood, yes. And she once was her sister, back when she was that naïve.

No longer.

Now, her sister was Angel.

She kept running. Running, running, running, trying to escape the deep sadness that had settled in her. The kind of constant loneliness she felt ever since she lost contact with Gaby and Street welled up again as she tried to outrun it. She soon reached the door. She could hardly see the handle to yank it open and fling herself on the bed, sobbing.

_How?_

_How could this happen? And why is it affecting me so much?_

_Angel…_

How could she break this to her? The toddler that she had helped care for was now being taught to be homophobic?

-

Angel didn't feel like walking far. Several people had trodden on her toes today, so her feet hurt, and she wanted to get home as quickly as possible. She knew of a shortcut through an alley… not as safe as the normal way home, but much quicker. Her shoes had heels today… and she knew how to use them…. She should be fine. She slipped quietly into the alley, and heard a rustle and a moan coming from her left. She ran towards the person, asking,

"Oh my G-d, are you okay?"

"Uhh…" was all the person could answer, when Angel felt a hand reaching for her mouth. She whipped around and was now eye-to-eye with a gun.

"A single peep from you will cost you your life," the man behind the gun growled. Angel bit her lip. Abuela had always told her that there was a better chance of surviving if she gave whoever it was what they wanted, then just walked away.

"Possessions don't matter that much, in the long run anyways," she could hear the long-lost warm voice of her grandmother clearly… in her head.

"And no sudden movements, either." The man's harsh voice bright her crashing down to reality, where her Abuela was not there to protect her.

"You will do what I say, nothing more, nothing less. Understood?" Angel was about to open her mouth to say "_si,_" when she remembered her first order. She nodded slowly instead.

"Good…" and with that, the large man pushed Angel to the ground. He had to use two hands to do so, resulting in the gun skidding across the alley, away from Angel's head. Once she knew this, she began thrashing about, kicking, biting, and breaking whatever she could. Meanwhile, the man was doing the same to Angel. They both struggled to get free of the other, while inflicting as much pain as possible, until Angel fell limp. The thugs rifled through her backpack, finding a small calculator they could sell, and tossed it away in the general direction of the rag doll Angel.

Once he heard the footsteps die away Street looked to his right at Angel. He didn't expect to be here, much less for one of his old friends to check to see if he was okay. He would have to find a new alley to camp out in, now that Angel knew where he 'lived'. Street inched toward the hardly-breathing multi-colored figure, and asked,

"Angel? Angel… can you hear me?"

"Street…" was all the drag queen could get out before she closed her eyes. Street scooped her up, walking down the alley in the direction Angel was running.

_Her home must be somewhere around here…_

"Angel? Angel… where do you live?" he asked. Getting no response, he asked again.

"Angel! Angel… _Donde esta tu casa?_" (where is your house?) he tried choppy Spanish.

"Middle of the block… it's yellow…." She replied weakly. Street looked all around him. There was only one yellow house on the whole block.

"Mimi…. Mimi should be home…" and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Street rapped sharply on the door three times.

_Please, please, please oh please be home, Mimi._

**And with that, I leave you for a week. Going to Hawaii! See the review button? Click, please! Thank you! –muah!-**


	23. Abuela, I see you

**No, Street did not come out of nowhere, there. It's all explained in this chapter. And sorry for the really long wait, but I could not get in the mindset of a non-fluff story for a while.**

_Knock, knock, knock._

Mimi looked up from her tearstained pillow. Did Angel forget her key again? She opened the familiar door and found-

"Street! What are you-" then she saw the girl in his arms.

"ANGEL! _Que paso?_" (What happened?) Mimi led Street to the age-old couch and lay Angel down on it.

"I found her in- well- more like she found me- and then this man- he-"

Thoroughly confused, Mimi held her hand in front of her face.

"Street… Street! Start at the beginning. Where were you?"

"Okay… you know how I'm called Street?"

"_Si_" (yes)

"It's 'cause I live in the street."

"_Si, si, si._ What about Angel?"

"I found her there"

"In the street?"

"Yes!"

"What was she doing there?

"I don't know! Let me tell you what happened!"

Mimi stayed quiet.

"I was in the alley where I had been hanging out lately, when Angel found me. Before I could tell her it was me, she was attacked. I brought her here…"

Mimi practically leapt into action. She felt for a pulse; it was barely there. The held a finger above Angel's upper lip, feeling for a breath. After a few terrifying moments, it was there, but very softly. She ran into the bedroom and grabbed a blanket. She covered Angel with it, spilling a few tears on the fabric.

"Angel, please…. _Angel, yo te necesito_ (I need you), Angel, _por favor_ (please)…"

"_Abuela…_"

"Angel?" Street asked tentatively.

"I saw Abuela…" Mimi helped Angel sit upright. "She… she just looked at me, and pointed at you, Mimi. She wanted me to turn back-" she interrupted herself with one cough. Mimi smiled through her tears. Angel looked over her shoulder at Street.

"You… you helped too?"

Street shrugged.

"He brought you here." Mimi explained.

"You saved me… thank you." Angel leaned forward and kissed Street on the check. Street blushed and mumbled something along the lines of "Any time."

-

"And with that, you girls have completed your CatScratch training!"

Mimi was ready to collapse.

_Mi Dios this is hard work_.

She walked home as fast as she could. It had only been a week since Angel's attack, and she wanted to be home as much as possible just in case. Turning the knob to the front doos, Mimi shouted,

"_Chica! Estoy aqui!_" (I'm here!) No response. "_Chica?_" she called again. "_Donde esta?_" (where are you?) She walked into the shared bedroom to find a note.

_Mimi-Chica –_

_I switched shifts with one of the girls at the thrift store. Be back around 10._

_Love,_

_Angel_

Mimi put the note down and walked into the kitchen in search of a snack. She opened the refrigerator to find some ketchup and a half-empty carton of milk. The cupboard only held a can of concentrated chicken soup and a box of saltines. Snacktime, then out to buy groceries. And maybe visit to the thrift store for that cute skirt…

**And there you have it, your long-awaited update. Sorry it's so short.**

**Chat readers: I still have to figure out the next chapter and how I'm gonna organize that. **

**While you are waiting for the next update, read Chocolate Kisses, I really like writing that one.**


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